# Incident 20140115003029I: Piper PA-28RT-201, El Monte, CA, January 15, 2014

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 15, 2014, 13:15 local time
- Place: El Monte, CA
- Airport: El Monte
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
- Operating rules: Pilot school (Part 141)
- Operator: Y8BS
- Location: 34.0746° N, 118.0291° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of El Monte, CA, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.0746&lon=-118.0291&mi=10
- Aircraft: N222HB, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N222HB) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-28RT-201 (registry code 7102818, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-28rt-201) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming I0360 SER A&C (registry code 41511, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-i0360-ser-a-c) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-28RT-201
- Reported engine: LYCOMING I0360 SER A&C
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 1,086 total, 107 in this make and model, 128 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20140115003029I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON JANUARY 15, 2014, CFI ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND STUDENT PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WERE OPERATING CIVIL AIRCRAFT N222HB, A PIPER PA-28RT-201 OWNED AND OPERATED BY UNIVERSAL AIR ACADEMY, FOR THE PURPOSE OF FLIGHT INSTRUCTION FOR STUDENT PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. ON FINAL APPROACH THE TO EMT THE PILOT STATED THE AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED AN APPROACH STALL AND SANK TO THE RUNWAY IN A HARD LANDING. THE LEFT MAIN GEAR WAS DAMAGED AND THE AIRCRAFT TAXIED TO THE UNIVERSAL AIR ACADEMY RAMP WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. NO EMERGENCY WAS DECLARED AND THE EMT TOWER WAS NEITHER AWARE NOR NOTIFIED OF THE HARD LANDING INCIDENT. UPON ARRIVAL AT THE FLIGHT SCHOOL RAMP THE DAMAGE TO THE GEAR WAS OBSERVED BY THE UNIVERSAL AIR ACADEMY MAINTENANCE STAFF AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS TAKEN OUT OF SERVICE. THE LAX FSDO WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE INCIDENT. DURING A ROUTINE INSPECTION OF ANOTHER OPERATOR AT THE EL MONTE AIRPORT ON JANUARY 17, 2014 LAX FSDO INSPECTOR JAMES GROAT DISCOVERED THE DAMAGED AIRCRAFT ON THE FLIGHT SCHOOL RAMP AND AN INCIDENT INVESTIGATION WAS INITIATED.

AS A RESULT OF THE INVESTIGATION IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS NO APPARENT MECHANICAL DEFECT OR MALFUNCTION OF THE AIRCRAFT AND THE INCIDENT WAS A RESULT OF AN AIRCRAFT APPROACH SPEED AND ATTITUDE THAT RESULTED IN LOSS OF LIFT JUST PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN. THE CFI, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, ATTEMPTED TO INTERVENE BUT WAS NOT SUCCESSFUL AND THE AIRCRAFT LANDED WITH SUFFICIENT FORCE TO BREAK THE LEFT MAIN NOSE STRUT HOUSING AND INNER ORIFICE TUBE, AND THE  TORSION LINK ON THE LEFT MAIN GEAR WAS BENT.

MICHAEL MARCHAND, THE PRINCIPAL OPERATIONS INSPECTOR (POI) FOR UNIVERSAL AIR ACADEMY HAS SCHEDULED A SAFETY BRIEFING SESSION WITH ALL THE COMPANY CFI'S AND THE STUDENT PILOT INVOLVED IN THIS INCIDENT. INSPECTOR MARCHAND WILL COUNSEL ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND NO EIR IS PLANNED TO BE INITIATED.

THE AIRCRAFT SUFFERED MINOR DAMAGE TO THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR. NO ADDITIONAL STRUCTURAL DAMAGE HAS BEEN FOUND VISUALLY AT THIS TIME. THE UNIVERSAL AIR ACADEMY MAINTENANCE STAFF IS COORDINATING WITH THE AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURER FOR GUIDANCE ON STRUCTURAL INSPECTION AND NON DESTRUCTIVE TESTING REQUIREMENTS BASED ON A REPORT OF THE DAMAGE TO THE GEAR AND INSPECTION OF THE REMOVED PARTS.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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